Episode 1/25

Chocoholic Haven
Chocoholics, rejoice! You have a real treat in store with a visit to this chocolate shop in Bruges! There is something for every taste and budget.

@ Chocoholic Haven
Silvermist begins her tour of the Belgian city of Bruges.

Episode 2/25

Bedtime in Bruges
This is clearly a favoured spot for the family pet. He has the best of both worlds—a blanket thoughtfully provided by his humans, ample fresh air, and on waking he can take an interest in what is passing outside on the street!

@ Bedtime in Bruges

Blue And Copper Egg
The first painted eggs came from Mesopotamia, and because eggs were forbidden food during Lent, people painted eggs while Lent was being observed—after Lent, they would eat the eggs on Easter Day.

Beautifully decorated eggs “pysanka” are associated with Ukraine, and the oldest painted egg that was unearthed in northern Ukraine is dated to the end of the 17th century.

Episode 3/25

Bruges Dragon Benches
The dragon is a symbol of Bruges due to an old legend and green benches in the city are supported by winged graceful metal curves culminating in a dragon's head.

@ Bruges Dragon Benches
In the Middle Ages “Made in Bruges” meant luxury. Today, with 20,000 inhabitants within the old city and 6.7 million tourists yearly, chocolates “made in Bruges” for every one of them seems doubtful … and it often is! Indeed, some dubious chocolate stores sell chocolate not even made in Belgium as being from Bruges. To counter this issue, the municipality has designed a logo for visitors to spot stores where the chocolate is indeed “made in Bruges”: look for the cocoa pod framed by two swans.

Episode 4/25

Romantic Canal Tour
Take a relaxing and romantic boat trip down this canal in Bruges, taking in the beautiful scenery on both sides.

@ Romantic Canal Tour
If you’re visiting Bruges, try and avoid Sundays as almost everything is closed.

Episode 5/25

Relaxing in Bruges
The flag of Bruges is red, white and blue! It comprises a blue lion on a background of red and white stripes. The coat of arms of the city consists of the royal crown, a lion, a bear and the Latin motto SPQB (Senatus Populusque Brugensis—the senate and people of Bruges).

@ Relaxing in Bruges
There are more castles per square inch in Bruges than any other country in the world. About 50 of the 470 castles in the Flanders region are based around Bruges.

Episode 6/25

Backstreet Bruges by Boat
A peaceful and relaxing trip may be taken by boat, exploring canal-side houses with quaint bay windows and tiled roofs. Perhaps a swan or two will keep you company along the way!

@ Backstreet Bruges by Boat
Belgium’s most perfectly preserved mediaeval town is jaw-dropping, and its beautiful architecture attracts more than two million visitors every year.

Episode 7/25

Schellemolen Windmill, Bruges
This peaceful scene is located on the canal between Bruges and the village of Damme.

@ Schellemolen Windmill, Bruges
As the Zwijn estuary silted up in the 15th century, the city began to decline as a trade centre but remained brilliant and powerful as the court of the Dukes of Burgundy and as the artistic centre of the Flemish school of painting, until the religious and political struggles of the 16th century completed its eclipse.

Episode 8/25

Bruges From Above
Enjoy this aerial view of the mediaeval city of Bruges Old Town, with its red-roofed buildings mingling with more modern structures.

@ Bruges From Above
In the Middle Ages “Made in Bruges” meant luxury. Today, with 20,000 inhabitants within the old city and 6.7 million tourists yearly, chocolates “made in Bruges” for every one of them seems doubtful … and it often is! Indeed, some dubious chocolate stores sell chocolate not even made in Belgium as being from Bruges. To counter this issue, the municipality has designed a logo for visitors to spot stores where the chocolate is indeed “made in Bruges”: look for the cocoa pod framed by two swans.

Episode 9/25

Canal Trip in Bruges
Bruges (Brugge in Dutch) is the eighth largest city in Belgium, by population (117,460). It is in the region of Flanders. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam and St Petersburg, it is sometimes referred to as the 'Venice of the North'.

@ Canal Trip in Bruges
Choco-Story, the Chocolate Museum in Bruges, is located in the sixteenth-century “Huis de Crone” building on Sint-Jansplein in central Bruges. This building was originally the home of a wine tavern. Museum visitors can watch chocolate being made. Аdditionally, a section of the museum is dedicated to the health benefits of chocolate.

Episode 10/25

Bruges by Boat
Here is a gem of a building to appreciate on a boat trip or perhaps a walking tour. In character it seems like an old rectory, with its ivy-covered garden wall. Note the crow-stepped gable end, which is typical in Belgium and in many countries on the Continent.

@ Bruges by Boat
As the Zwijn estuary silted up in the 15th century, the city began to decline as a trade centre but remained brilliant and powerful as the court of the Dukes of Burgundy and as the artistic centre of the Flemish school of painting, until the religious and political struggles of the 16th century completed its eclipse.

Episode 11/25

Belgian Idyll
Another gem to be discovered by boat, this idyllic scene is typical of the architecture to be found in Bruges.

@ Belgian Idyll
When De Halve Maan brewery decided to expand in 2016 to cope with the success of their newest beer, the Brugse Zot, that is exported to more than 30 countries, they could have simply moved their brewing facility outside of Bruges. But there is something unique about brewing beers where a brewery has been continuously doing so since 1564! And there is something very special about visiting such a facility in the heart of the city, and enjoying a beer there. This is why a 3.276-kilometre (2 mi) beer pipeline was designed and installed to link the brewery to the maturation and bottling facility just outside of town. The pipeline includes five pipes: two for beer that has to travel at low velocity because of the yeast (it takes 45 minutes for the beer to reach the bottling plant), two for water (one to bring water to the brewery for the brewing process, one to clean the beer pipes), and one to detect leaks, all in a high density polyethylene tube.

Episode 12/25

Honey Coloured Facades
These beautiful houses with their ornate gates, roofs, gables and lamps, can be discovered on a stroll around Bruges.

@ Honey Coloured Facades
There are more castles per square inch in Bruges than any other country in the world. About 50 of the 470 castles in the Flanders region are based around Bruges.

Episode 13/25

Canal Reflection
For centuries, canals been the arteries of Bruges, winding through the city and revealing another magnificent view around every bend. Take a stroll along the bank, or join a boat trip and discover hidden gardens, romantic bridges and mediaeval facades reflected in the water.

@ Canal Reflection
Bruges may be small, but it has over 80 bridges, making it easy to navigate the city and get from one side of the canals to the other. Due to the sheer amount of canals and bridges, Bruges is known as ‘Venice of the North’.

Episode 14/25

Frites Belges et Mayonnaise
It's claimed to be a Belgian national dish! Twice-fried chips are served topped with mayonnaise, or in this case, a choice also of tomato ketchup! Delicious!

@ Frites Belges et Mayonnaise
Bruges values the importance of education, and is home to several colleges and two major internationally acclaimed universities. In fact, it’s against the law to leave school before the age of 18 throughout Belgium.

Episode 15/25

Old Belgian Windmill
Old windmill in Damme, Belgium known as Hoeke Mill (Hoekemolen).

@ Old Belgian Windmill
Oh look ... you got a little gift!

Episode 16/25

Bruges Architecture
The outer buildings are examples of crow-stepped gables. The oldest examples of this style of architecture are to be found in Belgium. They are called trapgevel in Dutch.

@ Bruges Architecture
The Flemish primitives is a collective name that stands for early Netherlandish painting. It is about the work of artists from the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance, more specifically artists living in the cities like Bruges, Ghent, Tournai, Brussels and Mechelen. Bruges quickly became the meeting source and place of inspiration for many artists like Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling. Their world-famous masterpieces can be found in one of the 26 Bruges Museums.

Episode 17/25

Water Tour in Belgium
No visit to Bruges is complete without a boat trip on the canals, the "roadways" of the city. Perhaps accompanied by swans floating alongside you on the water, you will see Bruges from a different perspective, because some things you can only discover from the water!

@ Water Tour in Belgium
French fries, or frites, and mayonnaise is a local favourite and a iconic food staple in Bruges and the rest of Belgium. Head to one of the two green carts in the Markt square for your fix (or there’s even a Frietmuseum!)

Episode 18/25

Fine Dining, Bruges
A place to relax over a delicious meal at the end of a day's sightseeing in Bruges, this cosy restaurant can be discovered amongst the winding back streets of the city.

@ Fine Dining, Bruges
De Halve Maan is a beer lover’s dream. De Halve Maan is a 16th century brewery, owned by the same family since 1856 and is without a doubt one of the best Belgian beer tours you’ll find in Bruges.

Episode 19/25

Belgische chocolade
Belgium's production of chocolate started in the first half of the 17th century and increased steadily thereafter. It is a very important part of the Belgian economy, with over 2000 chocolatiers in the country. How many could resist this delicious looking collection!

@ Belgische chocolade
The basic concepts of modern banking and stock markets were first developed in Italy, and introduced into the rest of Europe via Bruges. In the 13th century, Bruges was wealthy, mostly thanks to the foreign traders doing business in town. The people of Bruges themselves, more specifically the innkeepers, were often involved as intermediaries. They not only offered accommodation and meals, but also storage space for the goods exchanged and more importantly, they would put foreign traders in touch with each other and facilitate transactions.
The van der Beurzes were the most important family of innkeepers of Bruges. The Ter Beurze building that was in business in 1276 still stands close to the Markt. This inn was well-known for its excellent location close to the trading heart of town, and by the nation houses of the powerful Italian city-states of Venice, Lucca, Genoa and Florence as well as English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Legend has it that one day, two foreign merchants were meeting in the Ter Beurze inn. One had a cargo of cocoa beans, the other, diamonds. They wanted to trade together, but as the price was based on weight, they decided to write the exchange on a simple piece of paper, creating the first bill of exchange.
In around 1415, traders used to meet at Ter Beurze, either on the square in front of it or in the inn when it rained, to exchange commodities, bonds, bills of exchange and even insurance. Still today, this word is used in many languages to refer to the stock exchange (beurs in Dutch, bourse in French, borsa in Italian, bolsa in Spanish and Börse in German).

Episode 20/25

Misty Cityscape, Bruges
A romantic aerial cityscape of mediaeval Bruges in the misty morning.

@ Misty Cityscape, Bruges
The basic concepts of modern banking and stock markets were first developed in Italy, and introduced into the rest of Europe via Bruges. In the 13th century, Bruges was wealthy, mostly thanks to the foreign traders doing business in town. The people of Bruges themselves, more specifically the innkeepers, were often involved as intermediaries. They not only offered accommodation and meals, but also storage space for the goods exchanged and more importantly, they would put foreign traders in touch with each other and facilitate transactions.
The van der Beurzes were the most important family of innkeepers of Bruges. The Ter Beurze building that was in business in 1276 still stands close to the Markt. This inn was well-known for its excellent location close to the trading heart of town, and by the nation houses of the powerful Italian city-states of Venice, Lucca, Genoa and Florence as well as English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Legend has it that one day, two foreign merchants were meeting in the Ter Beurze inn. One had a cargo of cocoa beans, the other, diamonds. They wanted to trade together, but as the price was based on weight, they decided to write the exchange on a simple piece of paper, creating the first bill of exchange.
In around 1415, traders used to meet at Ter Beurze, either on the square in front of it or in the inn when it rained, to exchange commodities, bonds, bills of exchange and even insurance. Still today, this word is used in many languages to refer to the stock exchange (beurs in Dutch, bourse in French, borsa in Italian, bolsa in Spanish and Börse in German).

Episode 21/25

Atomium, 1958
The Atomium was built for Expo '58, in other words, the Worlds Fair held in Brussels that year. Representing an iron unit cell (9 iron atoms) magnified 165 billion times, the monument with its unique silhouette has, over time, grown to become the symbol of Brussels and Belgium. It consists of eight stainless steel spheres, each 60 ft in diameter. They are connected by tubes which are 10 ft in diameter. Overall, the Atomium stands 335 ft (102 m) above ground. The central tube features an elevator that was once one of the fastest in the world. It could travel around 20 ft per second, carrying two dozen people to the top in about 23 seconds. The escalators were also some of the biggest in Europe, with one measuring 100 ft long. In 1958, Atomium was the sixth-largest metal structure in the world. It is a science centre and museum and the platform on Level 7 offers amazing views of Brussels, including Mini Europe and Laeken Park. The panoramic restaurant is the highest level. Don't forget to visit the gift shop when you've seen all Atomium has to offer, and perhaps treat yourself to an Atomium Smurf Figurine!

@ Atomium, 1958
The film In Bruges starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes was made there in 2008.

Episode 22/25

Rosary Canal, Bruges
The Rozenhoedkaai Quay of the Rosary Canal in Bruges.

@ Rosary Canal, Bruges
The Potato Bar, as the name suggests, screams potatoes. Even the bar is made from potato crates. Selling delicious Bruges frites as well as homemade croquettes filled with authentic fillings such as eel and asparagus, this place is definitely worth a try. Who can resist carbs when they taste as good as these?

Episode 23/25

Historical Bruges
A charming example of historical architecture in mediaeval Bruges.

@ Historical Bruges
French fries, or frites, and mayonnaise is a local favourite and a iconic food staple in Bruges and the rest of Belgium. Head to one of the two green carts in the Markt square for your fix (or there’s even a Frietmuseum!)

Episode 24/25

Bridge in Old Bruges
A romantic old bridge over the Groenerei Canal in Bruges, Belgium.

@ Bridge in Old Bruges
Bruges values the importance of education, and is home to several colleges and two major internationally acclaimed universities. In fact, it’s against the law to leave school before the age of 18 throughout Belgium.

Episode 25/25

Street Frites Treat
When you get a craving at night for fried potato chips when in Bruges, head out to this purveyor of frites to get your fix of deliciousness in a cone!

@ Street Frites Treat
Silvermist has now completed her tour of the Belgian city of Bruges. As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!

Silvermist has enjoyed her tour of the Belgian city of Bruges, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also tour a Belgian city!